Minnesota Twins sign catcher Kurt Suzuki

Kurt Suzuki of the Oakland Athletics fields a bunt and throws to first base in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 24, 2013 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Kurt Suzuki (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

The Twins have found their veteran mentor for young catcher Josmil Pinto.

According to two people with direct knowledge, the Twins agreed Friday to a one-year deal with catcher Kurt Suzuki. Terms were not immediately available, but FoxSports.com reported Suzuki would be paid $2.75 million in base salary plus performance bonuses.

The Twins cleared $3.5 million from their 2014 obligations with Wednesday's trade of catcher/outfielder Ryan Doumit to Atlanta for Triple-A left-hander Sean Gilmartin.

Suzuki, 30, averaged 14 home runs per season from 2009-11 with the Oakland A's. He hit a combined .232 with five homers in 94 games last season with Washington and Oakland, but is considered a solid defender who can handle a pitching staff.

He threw out 30 percent of attempted base stealers in 2012, slightly better than his career figure of 26 percent. However, his throwing number dropped off significantly in 2013, when he nabbed just 12.3 percent (8 of 65) attempted base stealers.

After earning just less than $15 million combined over the past three seasons, Suzuki will be taking a sizeable pay cut as he attempts to rebuild his value on a short-term deal.

A former College World Series star at Cal State Fullerton, he earned the nickname "Kurt Klutch" en route to being drafted in the second round in 2004. Suzuki was a first-team All-America and won the Johnny Bench Award as the nation's top collegiate catcher.

Twins closer Glen Perkins, the former Minnesota Golden Gopher, tweeted a reference to Suzuki hitting a game-winning homer off him in a 2004 NCAA Regional at Fullerton's Goodwin Field.

"Payback will be easy now that we are (allegedly) teammates," Perkins wrote on his Twitter account (@Glen_Perkins).

Perkins indeed fell 7-1 to the eventual CWS champions in the regional opener, but Suzuki went 0 for 4 with a stolen base off the Gophers' ace. Perkins went the distance as Suzuki flied out twice, grounded back to Perkins and reached base on an error.

Suzuki spent close to five full seasons as the primary catcher for the A's before being traded to Washington in August 2012. Advanced metrics showed he was among the game's better pitch blockers last season, but his pitch-framing abilities were deemed merely average.

The Twins made two-year offers to A.J. Pierzynski and Jarrod Saltalamacchia earlier this offseason, but the proven catchers signed with Boston and Miami, respectively. The Twins also held talks with veteran catcher John Buck, who remains unsigned.

Pinto, who will turn 25 on Opening Day, had a strong offensive season in 2013, including an eye-opening September in the majors (.342, four homers, 12 RBIs). However, his defense still needs work, and he has been limited to 10 games in the Venezuelan Winter League because of nagging soreness in his throwing shoulder.

The last time the Twins signed a free-agent catcher away from Oakland, it was a homecoming for New Ulm's Terry Steinbach after the 1996 season. Steinbach, now the Twins' bench coach, was coming off a 35-homer season and signed a three-year deal, $6.2 million deal that paid him $2.85 million each in 1997 and 1998.